Die To Live Again
by Phanstarlight
Summary: What happened after Jack finally, permanently, died? Pearly gates and golden halos?... it's not really Jack's style. Plenty of feels and a smidge of fluff too


**I don't own any rights to Torchwood or Doctor Who (sadly). This contains spoilers for Torchwood S2 E13 and S3, who Jack is and how he finally dies. This was written on the assumption that Jack out lives Gwen. I hope you enjoy it :)**

Letting go; he could finally let go. He could feel the world drawing out his breath, pulling the last of his life away from him. The world around him began to fade, colours paling and smells dulling. He had spoken his final secret to the man who had given him this life and now he could go with a smile, knowing he would never and could never come back. Death would finally claim him... and it was one of the best feelings he had known. He had no idea what was waiting for him after his last breath. In his many long life times he had heard many stories of heaven and hell, reincarnation and after life. But there was one, and only one, he had even the slightest speck of belief in. After you died your mind takes the form of the body in which you were happiest and takes you to the place that was most like home. He only believed in this story because he wondered, if it were true, then what form would he take, where was home to him? He had no idea, he had lived so many lives that he dared not to think and only to wonder. And with one long drawn out breath... he was gone.

Free.

Free from the never-ending life. Free from the memories of all the pain he had caused and suffered alike. He was finally free.

* * *

Jack awoke with a start. He felt the familiar sensation of his lungs kicking back into life and his mind falling into over drive. After a few seconds however, his mind began to process what had just happened... But, he had died... as the 'Face of Boe'... after sustaining the Motorway... so why was he here? Looking like this? Sitting in front of the large cog door in... the Torchwood 3 Hub?!

"Oh my God!" Jack stood up and his head whipped around and then, when he saw who was in front of him, let his mouth drop open. Standing in front of him, looking healthier then she had ever looked before, was the one and only Toshiko Sato.

"He's here! He's actually here! I told you, I told you here would end up here!" Tosh shouted out to her left, her eyes sparkling with uncontrollable delight. Jack was speechless, confused and slightly worried if he had truly gone mad.

"You're kidding, it's him!" Jack turned around quickly to be faced with the man himself, Owen Harper grinning over at him. Jack's mouth fell open for the second time in the past two minutes.

"T-Tosh? Owen?" was all Jack could stutter out, what the hell was going on?

"Well mate, I hate to break it to you but you're dead. Like, actually properly dead. Not your kind of dead, where you wake up and carry on breathing after a few minutes... but actually... dead"

"And... why am I here... in Torchwood 3... not feeling very, um... not feeling dead?"

"Well what did you expect the 'after life' or whatever you want to call it to be like? Fluffy clouds and pearly white gates?"

Owen let out a bark of laughter... which earned him a disapproving look from the Captain.

"So... I'm dead. But my mind has taken this body and put me here... because?"

"Well, apparently, this was the place that felt most like home to you. And to all of us. I'm surprised you ended up here, after all that life you lived"

For the first time since getting here Jack smiled. Not just a small nervous smile or an am-I-going-mad smile but I true, happy smile.

"Is there anyone else here?" Jack asked

"Well there's me and Tosh, you apparently... sometimes we see Gwen's shadow, like she's trying to get through to us or she's thinking about us, but she isn't actually here. God knows where anyone else is... oh yeah, and of course there's-"

"Is everything alright down here, I heard shouting" Owen was cut off and Jack's eyes grew wide. Slowly he turned around. In front of him, up on the steps, stood the one man he had thought of almost every day since they had parted.

"I... Ianto?"

"I guess you really didn't forget about me then"

Jack let out a laugh as he felt tears already free-falling from his eyes. With the tails of his beloved coat flapping behind him Jack ran over to Ianto and pulled him into a hug. They clung onto each other like a life line, both fearing that this wasn't really happening, that this was just another dream. When Jack finally pulled back it was only so he could look into Ianto's eyes like he had done all those times before. He lifted one hand up from Ianto's waist and used his thumb to gently brush away the Welshman's tears. They stayed there, staring, holding each other close and just drinking each other in. Suddenly Ianto's mouth split into the widest grin and Jack just couldn't hold back any longer. He cupped the younger man's face, took one last look into his eyes and then pulled their lips together. The kiss was sweet yet passionate, light yet urgent... it was nothing like Jack had ever experienced. And as their cheeks brushed and their mouths worked perfectly in sync Jack smiled into the kiss.

And he had never felt more alive.


End file.
